The Patterson Girls (55 page)

Later, when Madeleine returned to the house, she found Nigel and Abigail in the kitchen making a late lunch of toasted sandwiches. She almost told them about her meeting with Lorraine, but decided to wait until she had all her sisters together.

‘Want some?' Abigail asked.

Madeleine nodded as she grabbed a glass and filled it at the tap. ‘That'd be great. I'll have a quick shower and see if Lucinda and Dad want to join us.'

‘Dad's having a lie-down before he has to help Rob this evening,' Abigail said, slicing cheese for the toasties. ‘I think today's been a wee bit exciting for him.'

Nigel grinned. ‘Abigail told me about your sister's news. That's awesome.'

‘Sure is.' Madeleine smiled, still struggling to come to terms with the whole Mitch-and-Charlie thing, never mind that her flighty, sometimes ditzy sister was going to be a mum. ‘So you met Dad then?' she asked, lifting the glass to her lips.

Nigel nodded. ‘Yep. I told him I loved his daughter and asked if he'd give me his blessing to marry her.'

‘You
what
?' Madeleine almost choked on her water.

Abigail laughed and turned to smile at Nigel with gooey eyes. ‘Surprised me too. Want to be my maid of honour?'

Recovering, Madeleine said, ‘Isn't that a bit fast?'

Nigel and Abigail gazed into each other's eyes and then he said, ‘When you know, you know.'

‘I guess.' Madeleine felt a little nauseated by all this romance, so guzzled the rest of her water and then headed for the bathroom. She stood under the hot water and closed her eyes, letting it soothe her over-exerted muscles. It looked like Abigail might not be staying in Meadow Brook that long after all. Although happy for her little sister, she'd had fun hanging out with her these last few days and was disappointed their time together might be over so quickly.

Remembering she had another sister who might need her, Madeleine turned off the water and climbed out of the cubicle. She dried and dressed quickly and then went to try Lucinda again. This time, she got an answer when she knocked.

‘Come in.'

Madeleine pushed the door open. ‘Are you okay?'

Lucinda nodded from where she was folding laundry into piles on her bed. ‘I know no one probably believes me but I'm genuinely happy for Charlie and Mitch. They are both wonderful people and they deserve love and … Wow, the baby is just such a special surprise. At least now we know the curse is crap.'

Madeleine laughed. ‘As if there was ever any doubt. Have you met Nigel yet?'

Lucinda looked up and frowned. ‘Abigail's Nigel?'

‘One and the same. He arrived from London a couple of hours ago to declare his undying love and affection and to beg Abigail to marry him.'

Lucinda's mouth dropped open, then, ‘No! Are you serious?'

‘I don't think there was much begging involved, but yes.' She nodded. ‘He's here in all his tall, blond glory and I'm going to be
maid-of-freaking-honour
.'

Lucinda started laughing. ‘Must be the day for surprises.'

‘Yep, looks like everyone gets a happy ending except us.' Madeleine shifted a pile of neatly folded underwear and plonked herself on the bed.

‘Actually …' Lucinda looked down, her expression sheepish. ‘I've decided to go home. Joe has asked me to go to marriage counselling and we're going to do our best to work things out.'

‘Oh …' For a split second Madeleine's heart cramped in disappointment—she'd been looking for someone to share her woe—but then she got over herself. ‘That's wonderful. I'm so happy for you.'

‘Thanks.' Lucinda sniffed and smiled. ‘I'm not kidding myself that this is the end of our troubles or that the road ahead is going to be easy, but being apart has made us both realise how much we want to be together. I've booked a flight back to Perth for tomorrow evening. And I can't wait to see him.'

‘So—' Madeleine gestured to the piles on the bed as she registered the suitcase open and off to one side on the floor ‘—you're packing?'

‘Yep. I know you and Abigail have only just gotten home and everything, but I have to put my marriage first. You don't mind, do you?'

‘No, of course not. I'll even drive you to Adelaide for your flight if you want. But first, do you want to come get some lunch? Abigail and Nigel are making toasties and I can't handle them making eyes at each other across the table on my own.'

‘Now you mention it,' Lucinda said, ‘I'm starving. And I do want to meet Nigel if we're going to be related.'

Madeleine heaved herself up off the bed. ‘Come on then.'

The two of them went to the lounge room where Abigail and Nigel had laid out a massive plate of toasted sandwiches on the coffee table. This time Abigail and Nigel took the couch and Lucinda and Madeleine sat in the armchairs, shooting sisterly questions at the newly engaged couple between mouthfuls. Dad woke from his nap, came in for a while and did his best with his own questions, but it turned out they all adored Nigel almost as much as Abigail.

When Dad went into the motel to do some work, the others half-heartedly watched a movie. It was a very chilled, pleasant afternoon.

‘I wonder when Mitch and Charlie will be back?' Abigail asked as the credits rolled up the TV screen.

‘Maybe we should have a celebratory dinner in the restaurant tonight?' Lucinda suggested.

‘Good idea,' Madeleine said. ‘That way Dad can be with us while he's seeing to the patrons and we can help in the bar. We should ask Mrs Sampson to join us.'

‘Yes, I'll go give her a call.' As Lucinda rose from the armchair, the front door opened and Charlie appeared by herself. ‘Where's Mitch?' Lucinda asked, the concern in her voice indicating she'd noticed Charlie's pale, shaky demeanour.

This Charlie was like a different person from the one who'd left the house a few hours earlier and Madeleine immediately switched into medical mode. ‘What's wrong? Have you got cramps, bleeding or something?'

Charlie shook her head as she closed the door and stepped further inside. She lifted her arms and wrapped them around herself as if she were freezing. ‘Where's Dad?'

‘In the motel,' Abigail answered.

‘Good, because he doesn't need to hear this.'

‘What?' Madeleine, Lucinda and Abigail asked in unison.

‘I … I …' She glanced at each of them and then her gaze fell on Nigel. She frowned. ‘Who are
you
?'

He got up off the couch where he'd been sitting nuzzling Abigail and offered Charlie his hand. ‘I'm Nigel. Abigail's fiancé.'

‘Oh right,' Charlie nodded and shook it, accepting his explanation without question, which Madeleine thought a testament to the fact something was very, very wrong. ‘I need to speak to Madeleine,' she continued as Nigel sat back down, ‘but you may as well all hear this. It sort of affects you all.'

‘What is it?' Lucinda asked as Madeleine leaned forward in her chair.

Charlie sighed, her whole body rising and then sagging again. She looked close to tears and she wasn't the type to cry over nothing. ‘I've just found out that Mum and Mitch's dad had a … a brief—' she lowered her voice ‘—
liaison
around the time she fell pregnant with me.'

She paused as Madeleine and the others gasped, but didn't wait for the first blow to settle before she hit them with the second. ‘It's possible that Rick is my real father. Which means—'

‘What the fuck?' Madeleine launched into a stand, shaking her head as if she thought this was one very sick joke. Lucinda and Abigail looked numb.

‘My feelings exactly,' Charlie said, dropping her arms and placing one hand against her stomach as she felt the nausea rising again. She wasn't sure whether it was morning sickness, terror or a menacing cocktail of both. ‘Which is why I need your help. How do Mr McDonald and I go about getting a paternity test done?'

‘You're going to find out?' Abigail asked, her tone disbelieving. ‘But … what if you are Rick's daughter? What is that news going to do to Dad?'

Charlie felt annoyance and frustration building alongside the nausea. As if this was her fault! ‘I can't think about that right now. What about our—' she squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to cry ‘—the baby?'

She couldn't allow herself to think about it as hers and Mitch's because if they were … Well, she couldn't have it, could she?

‘I don't believe it,' Lucinda whispered. ‘I
can't
believe it. Mum would never have cheated on Dad.'

‘That's what I thought, but Rick swore it. And why would he lie about something like this?' Charlie didn't want to go over it all but her sisters needed to know. ‘Apparently it happened only once. They both agreed it was an accident and it never happened again.'

‘An
accident
?' Lucinda scoffed. ‘An accident is running into someone else's car or spilling a drink on the table. It's not falling into bed with someone else's wife. And Mum? Christ, what was she thinking?'

‘I might go make some tea,' said the guy on the couch next to Abigail as he pushed into a stand.
Had he said he was her fiancé?
Charlie shook her head, not ready to deal with that mystery right now.

She sat down next to Abigail on the space he'd vacated. Madeleine came over and squeezed in next to her and Lucinda sat on the edge of the coffee table in front of them. They reached out for each other's hands and Charlie couldn't help the tears that came. She loved and admired them all so much, had always looked up to them, even Abigail who was younger. She hated the thought that she might not be one of them as much as she hated the terrible possibility that she might be related to Mitch.

After a long silence, she whispered, ‘I'm sorry.'

Madeleine squeezed her hand. ‘What are you sorry for? This isn't your fault.'

‘It'll be alright,' Lucinda promised. ‘We're here for you whatever happens.'

‘But I might only be your half-sister.'

‘Even if we do have different fathers, and let's not get carried away before we know the facts,' Abigail said, sounding a lot calmer than she had a few moments ago, ‘we're still sisters. Nothing is going to take that away.'

‘Damn straight,' Madeleine said at the same time as Lucinda said, ‘Exactly.'

‘But don't you see?' Charlie pursed her lips together and then sucked in a breath. ‘If Rick is my biological father, then I'm not a Patterson. Which means … maybe the curse is real.'

They were all quiet for a moment and then Lucinda said fiercely, ‘We don't care about the damn curse right now. We care about you.' And then she slipped her hands from the sister chain, knelt on the floor in front of Charlie and pulled her into a hug. ‘You're all that matters.'

Coming from Lucinda, that meant a lot.

‘Thank you.' Charlie sniffed. When Lucinda finally let her go, she turned her head to look at Madeleine. She needed to focus. ‘What are the logistics of getting paternity testing done? Is it hard?'

Madeleine shook her head. ‘Not these days. There's a simple test. I'll make some calls first thing tomorrow morning and find out if it can be done at the pathology unit in Port Augusta. There are tests we can get via mail order but it'll be quicker and more reliable if you and Rick can go in person.'

‘Okay, thanks.' Charlie felt grateful she had Madeleine to do the groundwork because she could barely think straight herself. ‘Is it very invasive?' She'd always been a wimp where needles were concerned.

‘No. It's very simple and pain free. They'll collect some cells from on the inside of your cheek, and Rick's, using what's called a buccal or cheek swab. It's a little wooden or plastic stick that has cotton on a synthetic tip. The person performing the test will collect as many cells as possible and these cells will be sent to the lab for testing.'

‘And that's … accurate?'

‘Yes. As accurate as taking a blood sample because the DNA is the same.'

‘Okay.' Charlie couldn't believe this nightmare was her life. ‘And how long will it be before we have the result?'

Madeleine shrugged. ‘I'm not sure. It depends on the pathology unit. Anywhere up to ten days at a guess, but I'll see if I have any contacts there who may be able to put a rush on it.'

‘Thanks.' Although right now ten days sounded like a lifetime. ‘How am I supposed to face Mitch? Or Dad?'

Her other sisters exchanged glum looks.

‘Where's Mitch now?' Abigail asked.

‘I told him to go home and said I'd call him when I'd worked out what to do. I can't face him at the moment.' Looking at him hurt too damn much.

‘Fair enough.' Lucinda reached behind her for the box of tissues on the coffee table. She offered the box and Charlie snatched up a couple.

What was she supposed to do now? What she wanted was to get very, very drunk, but she wouldn't add
that
to this baby's problems. She started by blowing her nose and wiping her eyes.

‘About Dad,' Lucinda said. ‘Why don't we try and get him away for the next week or so? We'll suggest that since we're all home at the moment, he and Mrs Sampson should take the chance to try out the caravan and—'

‘But,' Madeleine interjected. ‘Aren't you—'

‘More than happy to take on Dad and Mrs Sampson's work,' Lucinda butted in. ‘I'm sure you and Abigail will help.'

‘Of course,' Abigail said. ‘No way I'm going back to London until all this is sorted.'

‘That's settled then.' Lucinda stood. ‘I'll go tell Dad.'

‘You don't think he'll be suspicious?' Charlie asked. ‘And … don't you think he has a right to know? About Mum?'

Lucinda took a deep breath. ‘Look. Let's deal with this ourselves first and when we've got a handle on it, then work out what and if to tell Dad. What if it turns out to be nothing? Besides, he's so desperate to play with his caravan, he'll jump at the chance to get away. Remember, this will be his first holiday in Lord knows how long.'